NFL Today: Raider Regression

This week, Jalen Hurts was a turnover machine on MNF; Justin Herbert shook off a broken hand to lead the Chargers to a big win; and the Colts signed Philip Rivers, who had been retired for five years, as a potential solution at QB. Other Fantasy football stories we’re tracking include…

Maxx Crosby Keeps Terrorizing QBs

As we predicted in late-August, the Las Vegas Raiders faced long odds to make the playoffs this season. But wow, have things ever gone poorly in 2025. Since winning its season opener, Las Vegas has gone 1-11, including a seven-game losing skid heading into a Week 15 matchup in Philadelphia. How about 11 straight losses against AFC West rivals? That’s the longest active streak in the NFL.

The Raider offense has gone from horrible to league worst, and the D has not improved upon a poor showing in 2024. This team simply doesn’t inspire a ton of confidence.

If you’re seeking a bright spot here, look no further than defensive stud Maxx Crosby, who continues to build his legacy even as his frustrations grow over the team’s current predicament.

With another two tackles for a loss on Sunday, he broke his own franchise record with 25 in a season. Perhaps slowed by a knee woe, Crosby wasn’t as active as usual against Denver, logging just four tackles, but he’s already set new career highs in interceptions, stuffs and stuff yards with four games to go. He continues to be a menace to opposing QBs, having already surpassed last season’s sack total, giving him an outside shot to match or pass his career high of 14.5 set in 2023.

After a bit of a down year in 2024, Crosby has returned to averaging over 10 Fantasy points, the third time in the last four seasons he’s done so. Coming out of Eastern Michigan in 2019, he’s proved to be an incredible value as a fourth round pick because of his athleticism and ability to be productive. You can argue that instead of going in the fourth round, he should have gone as high as fourth overall in his draft class.

Consider Crosby the top defensive lineman for Week 15.

Will Myles Garrett Win DPOY Again?

After the nightmare that was 2024, things haven’t exactly been much better this year for the Cleveland Browns. Their offense is marginally better, but that’s splitting hairs (from dead last in scoring to 29th), while the D is significantly better. Special teams play has been poor, dropping from 16th to 24th in win probability added.

Add it all up and it hasn’t translated into a higher win total this season (at least yet) as the team is just 2-8 since starting 1-2. Reaching even six wins seems a stretch as Cleveland is currently +850 to do so as per FanDuel.

Similar to the Raiders, the most interesting thing left to follow for the Browns is on the defensive side of the ball as stud DE Myles Garrett is closing in on an all-time record.

The man who scored his only NFL TD back in 2021 recorded his 20th sack of the season on Sunday, becoming just the 13th player to reach this milestone (it’s only been an official stat since 1982). The NFL record is 22.5 sacks (set by Michael Strahan in 2001 and equaled by T.J. Watt 20 years later), so Garrett has four games to get just three more to become the single-season king.

All told, Garrett had his lowest pressure rate of the season and managed just four tackles on Sunday, but they were all solo, and he added two stuffs and his first defended pass of the season. The 20 sacks is a new career high and he’s also set personal bests in stuffs (15) and stuff yards.

It’s hard to imagine Garrett not taking home Defensive Player of the Year honours for the second time in three years; as a top three defensive lineman for Fantasy purposes, he’s pretty much a must-start every week.

RotoRob Tune of the Day

Bruce Cockburn has dabbled in a variety of musical formats, including folk, rock (that’s influenced by both jazz and folk) and soundscapes with spoken word. In 1980, he released his 10th and perhaps best album, Humans, and the shortest track on this effort is “Fascist Architecture.”